How do you rebrand a branding studio?
WildstoryThe hardest thing to do as a company is to work on yourself. Even though Wildstory spends every waking moment thinking of culture, brand, content, and how to tell brand stories that move their client's dream customers to action, we woke up one day to find ourselves in the unenviable position that causes many of our clients to seek our help.
We started the company with a similar belief and mission that we carry today – that stories change the world. By telling emotional, people-first stories we could change the way businesses interact with their employees, customers, and investors. Six years ago we thought the best way to do that was through public relations. We had some successes and built a nice little company but realized that while we were making money and serving clients, this wasn’t what we were meant to do.
We were also getting feedback like “I thought you just worked with outdoor brands” even though we work with all sorts of purpose-driven companies. And we had to hear the hard truth – that our brand was coming off as too “bro”, “rad”, and “all-male”. While we love getting outdoors and having fun, we want to make sure we are resonating with 70% of our customer base – women!
These design elements were then applied to the website design where we trumpeted a "less is more" design esthetic. Many websites try to cram a ton of content and every last piece of information into them. Our philosophy was that we want to clearly communicate who we are, who we are talking to, and what we do. Any confusion to that message would be an obstacle and a road block or "bounce" for potential new clients. The website is focused primarily on telling stories in a big way with a visual design system that supports the story telling.
Today, we've found our footing and we're striving forward with confidence. We feel we're telling our own story in the way we want to be perceived – as a branding shop that tells brand stories for amazing companies so they can realize their dreams. But we have to remind ourselves we can never let our own brand story get complacent again. Branding is never truly finished. It's a living, breathing thing that needs constant love and attention.